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Original poster

we want to get our son circumsized but don't know if we should. any advise?

253 replies

juicychops · 24/03/2005 19:46

the doctor has tried to advise us not to as it is an unnecessary surgical procedure. My partner is circumsized and we both agree it is much cleaner and hygenic but don't know if we should do it or not. has anyone had their young son circumsized? and advise?

OP posts:
Twiglett · 26/03/2005 18:21

Actually piffle the HIV link came from epidemiological studies in Africa spanning over 2 decades.

The research compared tribes where circumcision was standard to tribes where circucision wasn't and saw markedly reduced rates of HIV infection in countries where 1 in 5 are infected

That linked with other medical research regarding cells under the foreskin designed to attract and then deal with STDs lead them to draw the conclusion that there was a health benefit in circumcision

Scientific circles have however since rejected the conclusion but the information still abounds on the WWW and is oft quoted in a 'there's no smoke without fire' sense

Twiglett · 26/03/2005 18:23

StuartC

I really despair at reading your posts on these threads .. you always come into them all guns blazing .. putting an end to any discussion that could be held

for the last time Female Genital Mutilation DOES NOT EQUATE TO male circumcision in any sense or form

kookool · 26/03/2005 20:29

Hunker - there is absolutely NO comparison between female and male circumcision. Female circumcision is against international law and understandably so as it is NEVER undertaken for health reasons.

Expatinscotland - you do not see the difference between circ. for cosmetic reasons and circ. for health reasons (I did it for the latter reason if you had read my earlier posts) and you claim to be intelligent ?

Furball · 26/03/2005 21:18

I think the reason StuartC is so against circumsion is that he actually owns a foreskin so realises what having it removed would mean.

expatinscotland · 26/03/2005 21:19

Well, you rumbled me, kookool. It was I who ripped up your MENSA application.

Mud · 26/03/2005 21:59

really Furball, there was I thinking it was because he was a loud-mouthed know-it-all. Should have realised it was because he owned a foreskin. That makes it all completely clear

stitch · 26/03/2005 22:04

why is everyone being so rude to each other?
someone assked people for their opinion. cant that be stated without acting like this?
for those of us who are honestly interested in circumsicion, therehave been a few interesting points made, but finding them in amongst the slanging is hard.
for those of you who are so completley against it, please stop posting. this thread has gotten completly out of hand

hunkermunker · 26/03/2005 22:05

Kookool, I know full well there's no comparison between female genital mutilation and male circumcision. However, I wasn't asking about FGM, I was asking about a light trim. It seems it's OK to trim boys genitalia, but not girls?

Mud · 26/03/2005 22:05

I love the way everyone is ganging up with their liberal, right-on idealistic views of the world

So mumsnet you can sort yourselves out like this

Breast-feeding is right-on, we all support it - Boo Hiss to Formula Feeders

Guardian Reading is right-on, we all support it - Boo Hiss to Daily Mail Readers

Milk feeds only to 6 months is right-on, we all support it - Boo Hiss to earlier weaners

God its just like summer camp, there's the popular vote and wo-betide you have a different viewpoint

I got what you were saying KooKool, I really don't agree with you about circumcision, but I totally understood the analogy

wobblyknicks · 26/03/2005 22:05

Even IF circumcision is good for health reasons, which I don't agree with, but if it IS, that's still not an automatic good reason to do it!!!

Having tonsils can give you more throat infections, having an appendix can give you appendicitus - neither of them are necessary but I'm not about to have them whipped off my dd!!!

Mud · 26/03/2005 22:08

I think its a little more like having your ears pierced than any other kind of surgery TBH

wobblyknicks · 26/03/2005 22:10

My point was though, that just because doing a medical procedure makes you supposedly 'better' or 'healthier' is NOT an automatic reason to do it. If there's no dire risk to not doing it then you may as well not, especially when you can't even prove it does help!!!

hunkermunker · 26/03/2005 22:13

WK, exactly! And Mud, not sure I'm being right-on about this, but also very sure that I didn't have my earlobes snipped off when I had my ears pierced

Mud · 26/03/2005 22:14

people do what they believe is best for their kids, there are health, social, custom reasons behind all parental choices.

Labelling anything as abuse, that isn't abuse is downright insulting to caring parents IMO

(no my children aren't circumcised)

Mud · 26/03/2005 22:15

No hnukermunker you had a needle shoved through till it made a hole, after they were frozen. then you had to turn the stud with antiseptic lotion to stop it getting infected for a couple of weeks.

wobblyknicks · 26/03/2005 22:21

But doing things to your own body is different to doing them to your child.

lavenderrr · 26/03/2005 22:21

haven't read all of this thread but have to say that if you put yourself in your sons shoes, would you mind, don't mean to be graphic but when men come to the age of being proactive then a foreskin is quite handy iykwim (without being graphic)...I think it's wrong and should be left to the individual as it's not the parents having it removed (imagine if as a woman your mother had some of your bits removed because they thought it more hygienic)....what more can I say....I think it's selfish and you should wait until your child is old enough to decide....how would you feel if it had been done to you? forget the hygiene, think about their needs...hope haven't offended anyone here.

hunkermunker · 26/03/2005 22:22

No, I didn't. I had a thing like a staple gun which shot the earring through my earlobe in a fraction of a second. It went hot and red for a few minutes but didn't bleed. Didn't hurt - after all, I had the other one done! They weren't frozen first, just had antiseptic wipes.

hunkermunker · 26/03/2005 22:23

AND I wouldn't have DS's ears pierced (but I realise that's a whole nother argument ).

wobblyknicks · 26/03/2005 22:25

I don't agree with having kid's ears pierced but at least they can reverse that when they get older if they don't like your decision - you can't quite say the same for circumcision!!

WigWamBam · 26/03/2005 22:25

The difference with the ear piercing is that most people with pieced ears chose to have it done themselves, it wasn't foisted on them by someone else while they were too small to know what was happening to them.

Mud · 26/03/2005 22:27

really?

you ever been to poland, they look at you askance if your baby girl doesn't have pierced ears

what about african tribes that do the lip plates, or the neck rings. Obviously barbaric customs, lets go in and change it all NOW

HappyMumof2 · 26/03/2005 22:29

Message withdrawn

marthamoo · 26/03/2005 22:31

stitch,

No, it doesn't work like that. This is a public forum and people are entitled to their own opinion - you cannot say "only those in agreement post here." If that's what you want, go to a pro-circumcision site.

Mud, I've never been to summer camp but I think your view of MN is very simplistic. The whole point is that we are able to argue from different viewpoints here. Who's the philosopher who said I may not agree with what you say but I will defend to the death your right to say it? That's how I feel. I read the Guardian and cannot stomach the Daily Mail. Joolstoo (sorry to pick you out!) reads the DM. That doesn't mean I don't respect her opinion (I even like her, she makes me laugh!)

I am with many people on this thread. I cannot see the justification for circumcision for hygiene/cosmetic reasons. I have some difficulty with circumcision for religious reasons (mainly because I am not at all religious myself) but I can empathise with those who have stronger religious feelings than me and feel it is important (who am I to tell them no?). For example Twiglett has had her ds circumsised - I absolutely respect her right to do what she feels is right for her ds (aided by the fact that I have a lot of time for Twiglett). I have no problems at all with circumcision for medical reasons (my brother is circumcised for that reason, ds1 looked for a while as if he would have to be).

This is an open forum - anything is open to discussion - something like this is bound to be contentious as people hold strong feelings about it. But we are adults and should be able to offer our opinions, however strong, without people trying to tell us we have no right to hold such an opinion or to keep quiet unless we agree. If it was a case of "I think this. Who agrees with me?" MN would cease to be of interest for most people.

Mud · 26/03/2005 22:31

I believe its completely wrong to formula feed - I believe that's detrimental to an infants long-term health

I sit back all the time on that one actually